Chandra Mauli Agrawal, Ph.D., PE
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CHANDRA MAULI AGRAWAL, Ph.D., P.E. Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs The University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA) Summary and Highlights of Roles and Achievements (with gratitude to coworkers and students who have made it all possible) I have worked at two University of Texas institutions: UTSA (comprehensive university) and at UT Health-SA (medical university). Interim-Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at UTSA (June 2016 – now): Oversee a large budget (>$170M) and more than 2,200 faculty and staff with responsibility for ~31,000 students and all 162 academic degree programs in multiple colleges. Successfully implemented strategy of faculty cluster hiring in areas of strategic importance. Launched a plan (CLASS – Coordinated and Linked Approach to Student Success) based on predictive data analytics for rapidly improving retention and graduation rates. Saw an increase of 7 percent in 4-year graduation rates in one year. Successfully implemented a plan to launch UTSA Office of Online Learning and entered the online program market within 18 months with cyber security programs. Launched the Citymester® program for experiential learning for students in Honors College. Realigned resources to establish positions of Associate Provosts for Student Success, Military and Veteran Affairs, and Strategic Initiatives. Serve on the President’s cabinet as Vice-President and participate in shaping the path forward for the university including enrollment management, retention and graduation, educational programming, research directions, investments in infrastructure growth, marketing, revenue generation and balanced budgets. Vice President of Research (VPR) at UTSA (2013-2016): During 3-year tenure, new research grant funding increased more than twofold from ~$30M to ~$67M. Expenditures for 2016 research and sponsored programs increased more than 30% to reach all time high, reversing a multiple year declining trend at start of tenure. The Office of the VPR was restructured and principles of lean processes implemented to better serve faculty and students. A strategic plan for research was developed and implemented. Implemented UTSA-DC plan – taking researchers to Wash DC to visit with funding agencies. Negotiated and implemented undergraduate research immersion program at UTSA for students from Tec de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico. Launched university-wide Undergraduate Research Showcase (several hundred participants) and an undergraduate research journal. Dean of College at UTSA (2005-2013): The College of Engineering saw the following growth: More than 50% increase in student enrollment including >100% increase in graduate students. More than 75% increase in faculty (46 new faculty members were hired). More than 6-fold increase in annual research expenditures. Addition of new programs: 2 BS, 4 MS and one PhD. Creation of 5 new Centers and 2 Research Institutes. $25M in donations for scholarships and endowed positions. 1 Addition of two new large educational buildings (combined cost ~$180M). Significantly increased number of female engineering faculty. Lead College through successful SACS and ABET accreditations. Launched nation’s first bookless library. A summary of specific career achievements is provided here: Administrative Currently manage a ~$170 million budget for Academic Affairs. Previously managed the $70+ million research and sponsored projects enterprise at UTSA. This role included oversight of administrative, compliance, infrastructure, marketing, and budget areas as well as growth strategy, and faculty and student support. Responsibility included every academic discipline on campus. Launched a Washington, DC initiative with periodic meetings with the White House and senior officials of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC regarding educational and research programs at UTSA. Served with University of Texas Regents and Chancellor on Task Force on Engineering. Worked with Graham Weston, co-founder of Rackspace Hosting, to plan and launch new Cloud Computing program at UTSA, underwritten by Mr. Weston’s philanthropic foundation. As Vice President for Research worked with faculty and led development of a university level strategic plan for research at UTSA that recognizes and supports scholarship and research in all disciplines – from history and anthropology to neuroscience and cyber security. Served on team to develop 10 year university strategic and implementation plans for UTSA. As Dean led all aspects of the College of Engineering with 2,760 students and 92 faculty. Led the development of a 10-year college strategic plan and underlying implementation plan for the College of Engineering at UTSA. Served on core team to develop long-term master plan for campus. Led the team for a $85M, 150,000sf new research and classroom building, including proposal writing for state funding, design process with architects, input during construction, and management of move-in by faculty and students. Conceived and launched the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute (TSERI), which is a university-wide organization. Recruited senior executive from Sandia National Labs to lead it. Educational Launched faculty cluster hiring. Worked closely with faculty to introduce hybrid or flipped classrooms where appropriate. While at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio led the formation of the graduate program in Biomedical Engineering - the first joint program with the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Required obtaining the agreement of more than 10 department chairs and 6 deans across the two institutions. Served as the Director of the program. As Dean, oversaw the launch of 2 new bachelor programs, and 4 masters degree programs. Negotiated an agreement with the Southwest Research Institute to launch a joint Ph.D. program with UTSA in Mechanical Engineering. Increased admission standards twice for College of Engineering. Encouraged faculty and staff excellence by establishing awards for recognizing performance. Worked closely with student organizations and student government to further their development and launch new activities. 2 Outreach to K-12 Conceived of and launched the Interactive Technology Experience Center (iTEC) in collaboration with AT&T, to introduce K-12 children to STEM activities. Today, iTEC reaches thousands of children through its programs. Initiated the Getting Excited About Robotics (GEAR) competition at UTSA for regional elementary and middle schools. Up to 100 student teams have participated annually. Worked with Dean Kamen (inventor of the Segway scooter) to bring his FIRST robotics competition to San Antonio. Served as Chair of Alamo FIRST Board. Within two years the SA competition became the largest regional FIRST competition in the nation with several thousand participants from around the nation and other nations. Public relations and fund raising Fund raising: have helped raise more than $25 million from donors for UTSA with experience at every stage from donor cultivation to actual ask. Engagement with printed and/or digital news media on a routine basis (more than 8800 Google records for “Mauli Agrawal” in Nov. 2017). Served as Vice Chairman of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, 2016. Authored op-eds published in San Antonio Express News and the Rivard Report. Accompanied Mayor Ron Nirenberg as educational representative on sister-city delegation to Darmstadt, Germany, Oct. 2017. Selected for National Security Forum at Air Force War College, Maxwell AFB. Accompanied former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro (later HUD Secretary) as educational representative on trade delegations to nations such as China, India, and Israel. Worked closely with San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and UTSA President to negotiate a research contract worth $50M with CPS Energy for Texas Sustainable Research Institute. Accompanied San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger and other city officials on sister city visit to Dresden, Germany. Serve/Served on multiple non-profit community boards (5 current). Served as the 2006 President of the Society for Biomaterials (elected national position). Served on the National Boards of the Society for Biomaterials (10 years) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (3 years). Selected for Joint Civilian Orientation Course by Office of Secretary of Defense. Academic Published 314 scientific publications (116 papers in refereed journals; Google Scholar: >12,140 citations, h index 52). Co-authored or edited several books – including textbook published in 2014. Delivered 76 invited, plenary, or keynote lectures in a dozen countries. Grants: raised approximately $10M for research as PI or Co-Investigator. Serve/Served on the editorial board or as guest editor of 11 scientific journals. Serve on the Board of the College of Engineering and Sciences at Clemson University. Continue to teach classes and conduct research in present role. Honors and Awards: 3 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2017 Inducted into the National Academy of Inventors, 2016 Awarded the 2010 Palmaz award for Innovation in Healthcare and Biosciences. Other Palmaz winners include Nobel Laureate W.E. Moerner, Julio Palmaz (inventor of the intravascular stent), Leroy Hood (inventor of DNA sequencer), Robert Langer (father of regenerative medicine), Dean Kamen (inventor of Segway and founder of FIRST robotics) and Francisco Cigarroa